NIXA – For two teams that have averaged over 40 points per game each through the districts, it was fitting that a defensive stop sealed a 48-46 victory for Carthage over Nixa in the Class 5 quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon.

After a Logan Tyler 1-yard touchdown pulled the Eagles (7-6) within two points, the teams lined up for the two-point conversion play with just 49 seconds left. Andrew Rivera hit Nicos Oropeza in the flat, but he was met immediately by the Carthage (11-1) defense. Oropeza stretched the ball out for the goal line as he went down, but the ball came up inches short.

“This was unreal,” Carthage coach Jon Guidie said. “It was a battle of two heavyweights coming in, and it lived up to that hype.”

The Tigers built an early lead by reaching the end zone on each of their first five possessions and were able to answer every Nixa comeback attempt in the second half.

Senior quarterback Alex Derryberry orchestrated an offense that racked up 462 yards of total offense. Derryberry accounted for 399 yards (170 passing and 229 rushing) and six touchdowns.

“We knew that we had to get off to a good start,” Derryberry said. “If we don’t get off to that start, we probably don’t win the game.”

Nixa trailed by two scores for much of the first half but mounted a rally after the intermission.

Special teams help the Eagles get back into the game. A block punt recovered in the end zone by Austin Heatherly cut the deficit to 41-34, and a 30-yard punt return after Carthage’s next possession set up the Eagles with good field position. Four plays later Oropeza, who finished with 218 rushing yards, scored his third touchdown of the game. But a blocked extra point kept Carthage up 41-40.

“The kids hung in there and got back in the game,” Nixa coach Rich Rehagen said. “We battle and had a shot to send the game into overtime.”

The Tigers stretched the lead back to eight points after Derryberry punched in his fifth rushing touchdown of the game.

After Nixa’s final score cut the deficit to two points, a last-ditch onside kick was recovered by Carthage. A couple of kneel-downs ran the final 46 seconds off the clock.

It was sweet redemption for the Tigers. Nixa knocked off Carthage 24-21 in the quarterfinals last season on the way to a trip to St. Louis for the state championship.

“We didn’t talk about it too much as coaches, but (the kids) did and they knew how important it was,” Guidie said. “We lost to them by three and they lost the state championship game by three. They realize how close we were.”

Carthage advances to the state semifinals to meet Chaminade, a 14-7 winner over Rockwood Summit, on Nov. 21. It is only the second time that Carthage has reached the semifinals. The other was in 1968, when the state first started a playoff and took only four teams.